Frozen sap in 1000l tote
Im just wondering what everyone if anybody is using anything in their tote to keep the sap from freezing. I was contemplating using a couple aerators for a minnow bucket or a couple water pump for aquariums. As long as the sap stays moving it shouldnt freeze right? Thanks for any response.
In the past, if I ever got any ice in a Tote, I just stopped using that one until it just started to melt, then I put new liquid sap in it. From there I pumped it into my SS sap tanks, Any ice remaining just became the refrigeration for the new sap. I'd be very concerned about using non food grade aerators or aquarium pumps. Who knows what they are made of? Remember, syrup is a food product.
Dave Klish, I recently ordered a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
The best thing to do is collect it and boil it before the deep freeze gets there. Usually, you see it coming in the forecast and boil as much as you can before you get there. I've been caught, though. Sometimes the work schedule and the weather don't cooperate. A big run ends with temps plummeting in the afternoon and you have that day's run frozen for days. It's unavoidable. I'll put heat tape on the neck and valve at the bottom.
If it's just an overnight freeze or just for a day or so, the outside and top of the sap will freeze and you can still draw the liquid from the inside of the tank. The ice is a nice insulator and nature's RO. The rub is, all that ice eventually melts and you have more water in your next collection.
Woodville Maples
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Around 300 taps on tubing, 25+ on buckets if I put them out
Mix of natural and mechanical vac, S3 Controller from Mountain Maple
2x6 W.F. Mason with Phaneuf pans
Deer Run 250 RO
Ford F350
6+ hives of bees (if they make it through the winters)
Keeping the day job until I can start living the dream.
hey Beerclouds, it happens.was it a full tote? in the center of that ice block is concentrate. I have a 2-foot drill bit and make a hole in the ice to pump it out and boil!
2017 140 taps 30x8 12x16 shack 28.5 gal
2018 158 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 44 gal
2019 223 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 36 gal
2020 226 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 250 waterloo ro 63 gal
2021 230 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 250 waterloo ro 37 gal
2022 230 taps 30x8 12x16 shack with 8x8 kitchen 250 waterloo ro 55 gal
2023 235 taps 30x8 12x16 waterloo ro 50 gal
2024 54gal
in the center of that ice block is concentrate. /QUOTE] Have you actually tested the sugar content to be sure? It has been my experience that the sugar settles on the bottom of the tank.
First introduced to making maple syrup in 1969
Making syrup every year since 1979
3 x 10 oil fired
Revolution syrup and max flue pan
Almost 1300 taps total with 900 on high vacuum
Bought first Marcland drawoff in 1997, still going strong.
I have never had a complete block of ice in my collection tank until this year. We have had two small runs that weren't enough to boil, plus it turned instantly cold. So I have a 40 gallon size solid block of ice. My tank is 275 gallons so it'll just be refrigeration until it thaws. Now if it was my smaller tank I'd be scratching my head too.
125-150 taps
Smokey Lakes Full pint Hybrid pan
Modified half pint arch
Air over fire
All 3/16 tubing
Southern Ohio
What is everyone's though on those floating water heaters used with watering buckets for animals? Maybe that could work to help out.
Mike
Tapping since 1985 (four generations back to early to mid 1900s). 200-250 taps on buckets and then tubing in the mid 90s. 2013- 275 taps w/sap puller 25 gal. 2014-295 taps w/sap puller 55 ga. (re-tapped to vacuum theory) 2015-330 taps full vac. 65 gal, 2016-400 taps 105 gal, 2017-400 taps 95 gal. 2018-additional 800' mainline and maybe 400 new taps for a total near 800 taps. 2x6 Leader WSE (last year on it) supported by a 250 gph RO.
As long as the valve doesn’t freeze, an ice block in the sap tank doesn’t matter. After a few hours of running the fresh sap floats the ice block and I can draw sap out of the bottom of the tank. The only problem comes when I boil all the liquid and have a chunk of ice. It can be very hard to tell the difference just looking through the side of my cage tank.
2013 Started with 6 used buckets, 6 sap sacks, concrete block fire pit in the woods and a 20g Agway galvanized tub for boiling - made 8 quarts campfire grade syrup and got hooked. Over the years I acquired or built a 2x6 Leader evaporator, 20x30 barn/sugar house, home-built RO with 1-4x40 membrane and Kubota L3200 with log winch. In 2020 I was certified by VT Audubon as a bird-friendly producer.
2021 250 taps on 11- 3/16" lines hoping for 80 gal.
Out of control hobby, not a business!
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